okay, i think i am going to take the plunge today and get a new ibook. i want to get the dvd model (i have an external firewire cd burner at 16x so the built in one doesn't appeal to me). i also want to get the largest hd (20 gigs) and an airport card (installed if possible). can i only do this through the apple store or can i get this special configuration elsewhere?<br><br>i plan on buying at least 256 megs of ram to add to the 128 installed (i know there is some issue with the 512 modules right now), but i can install this myself.<br><br>[color:blue] -sean</font color=blue>

Just out of curiousity..why get the DVD one? Do you plan on watching movies?<br><br>I heard someone argue the benefits of just getting the basic model vs the DVD and cdrw ones. Pretty good arguement..now if only I could find it! LOL Basically is that unless you plan on watching movies, don't get the DVD and most people have external cdrw's nowadays.<br><br>but in the end the choice is yours.<br><br>

well, for one, the money is not mine, but a federal grant my wife and i won. then again, the more i save, the more i can spend on the highest end g4 tower in late july and a nice monitor. i also have to buy a projector for presenting at conferences and a couple of imacs for the staff.<br><br>the $200 for the dvd version gets an extra 64 megs of ram and dvd. i am not sure it is worth it. in fact, i may not do it. my wife has the pismo and we have watched 1 dvd movie on it in the past year. hmmm! why do i want dvd? i don't. the screen is too small anyway. why not just use my wife's when that need arises (if ever or an actual external home dvd player.)?<br><br>okay, change my story above to the most basic model and i'll buy 2 256 modules of ram and replace the 64 module that comes with it. <br><br>thanx for clearing my head a bit. the money just came through -- finally -- and i am little overwhelmed with choices.<br><br>anywhere to buy quickly (with large HD and airport)?<br><br>[color:blue] -sean</font color=blue>

Any reason why you're buying now as opposed to waiting until MacWorld in just 30 days? If you can wait, you should. Sure, maybe they're not updating the ibooks so soon after being released, but you never know and the rev.B stuff is always better than the original release.<br>I'm waiting until MacWorld mainly because I want colors! And if I don't get colors then I'm painting my new ibook! :)<br><br>As far as where to buy - I highly recommend PowerMax . They are an Apple Auth. Reseller, you'll get good deals and pay no tax. They also do BTO's so you can get you machine configured as you'd like it. They are just fantastic at customer service. Give them a shot.<br>Another similar place is Small Dog and although I have no direct experience with them, I hear good things.<br><br>

well, i also teach classes here at my university. i am scheduled to teach a class in a high school computer lab in south central Michigan next week and will be staying in a hotel for the week. i thought it would be nice to take my software and use my evenings to customize my new machine, but alas, i do not think i can get a machine by saturday. perhaps i will wait until july. shucks. <br><br>thanks for the links.<br><br>[color:blue] -sean</font color=blue>

You can always rent a laptop. I'm renting a G4 PowerBook for a trip I'm taking at the end of this month. While, the G4's are very expensive, you can rent a G3 PowerBook for about $160 for a week - it gets cheaper for longer term rentals. iBooks are even cheaper.<br>Just a thought.<br><br>

Small Dog <http://www.smalldog.com> is also a good place to get a Mac's. Have always had good luck with them<br><br>Tim Robertson, publisher <br>My Mac Magazine<br><br>http://www.mymac.com<br>publisher@mymac.com<br>

bookrat
member
Registered: 06/11/01
Posts: 174
Loc: Sydney, Down Under

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>okay, change my story above to the most basic model and i'll buy 2 256 modules of ram and replace the 64 module that comes with it. <p><hr></blockquote><p>Sorry but no can do Sean. According to Apple's tech specs on the iBook...<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>64MB of PC100 SDRAM, expandable to 576MB; or 128MB of PC100 SDRAM expandable to 640MB; single 1.25-inch standard SO-DIMM slot supports up to 512MB SO-DIMM<p><hr></blockquote><p>...you will only be able to add one more RAM module to your iBook (the pre-installed RAM is soldered to the baby). If that's the case, you will have to decide if it's worth the extra $200+ to get the DVD and the extra 64Mb RAM. I tend to agree with OSXaddict but in this case you could look at the possibility that DVD may be used for other purposes. For example if you were to end up getting a SuperDrive with your G4 Desktop, you could prepare DVD presentations for use on your seminars and such. Just something to consider. <br><br><br><br><br>

AAUUUGH! why is this so difficult? soldered to the board??? sheesh! i don't want 64 megs soldered to the board...i don't want the 128 soldered to the board. currently the 512 module is over $1,000. i want a lot of ram, but i don't want to pay $1000 when everyone else in the world is paying far less than a dollar a mb. at least the 256 megs of ram is worth it (pricewise), but that would mean a mere 320 megs...oh sheesh! probably fine, but not optimal.<br><br>if the ti-books were considerably faster than the ibook, then i would consider them, but i will be doing the video editing on the much faster desktop anyway. heck i use a lot of firewire and that tends to have the advantage towards ibooks. this computer will be for some word processing/internet and maybe some webpage design while on the road or for a few hours a week in the office and as the main machine until august (meaning some imovie). it is hard to justify a ti-book when it won't even be my main machine. <br><br>thanks for the heads up.<br><br>[color:blue] -sean</font color=blue>

Sean,<br> I am getting a new iBook (low end model) in a couple of days here. I will let you know what I think of it. I am also getting 256MB RAM & an airport card, both of wich I am installing myself. I am also moving around A LOT! with this (location manager!! yea!!). "If" I remember, I will reply to this post (I am very busy you know!).<br><br>OSX Addict,<br> You may have heard my arguments over @ ResEx, or are you not a ResEx reader? The higher end iBooks are a rip off! Just get the low end, and upgrade manually! (saves some phat bank!).<br><br>[color:red]-- John Bailey</font color=red> ( [color:red]Bdog</font color=red> )<br><br>[color:blue]Email Me!</font color=blue> [email] [color:green]bdog_111@yahoo.com</font color=green> [/email]

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